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The problem with large sales is that it conditions customers to only buy when things are on sale so the company has to mark things up to then discount them. That kind of thing worked in the old days but today most people are going to at least look at something online even if they end up buying it at a physical store. People can see the prices of 10 stores side by side and that 80% off sale no longer looks like a sale.
JC Penny ran into this problem and a new CEO tried to fix it by just pricing things for what the store actually wanted to sell them for. It backfired and their core customers revolted because they expected to buy things 80% off - they didn't care that the final price was the same they were conditioned to expect a discount and feel like they were getting an expensive product for next to nothing.
I went into Penny's last week to buy a linen sport coat for a wedding that required "cocktail attire" and I was pretty shocked that they are still in business. It was a shell of the store I remembered from 20 years ago. Half empty, understaffed, clothes randomly strewn around instead of returned to the proper racks after being folded or hung properly.
But on the bright side I got a $200 sport coat for only $48. What a deal!
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